


Call Me

by ladyxgreywolf



Category: Chronicles of Narnia (Movies), Chronicles of Narnia - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Gen, Jadis' daughter, Work In Progress, movie-verse, old story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-09
Updated: 2015-07-24
Packaged: 2018-04-03 15:16:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 18,182
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4105600
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ladyxgreywolf/pseuds/ladyxgreywolf
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Caspian calls for aid, not only the Pevensies are brought back to Narnia. Four others - one of them an adult - also arrive there to help the Narnians against the Telmarines.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is an older story so I apologize for the grammar - I will go back and edit it when I have the time!

While she was sitting in her room, she felt that tug on her clothes again. Now it wasn’t scary anymore, but it felt unfamiliar since she hadn’t felt it for years. It also felt uncomfortable for a while when she was right in between the two worlds, but it was such a short time that she hardly noticed.

Because the next moment she was standing on a beach. The most beautiful beach she’d ever seen, and it was still warm outside. Not like the rainy and cold hometown she’d just left. She threw of her cardigan, one of those knitted ones that her grandmother had made for her, and then she pulled of her shoes and socks and rushed out into the water until it reached her knees. The waves made her wet from head to toe, but she didn’t care. At least she didn’t have a mother here calling her in for tea as soon as she tried to be a bit free.

That was when she started to wonder where she was. It made her turn around and look at the great mountain next to the beach. Parts of it were grey, other parts were white, and all of it was covered with ivy and other plants that she didn’t recognize.

“Oh, this is just great! I was going to hold a lecture today!”

The irritated voice came from the cave were she’d emerged herself. And by hearing the voice and also seeing the tall man walking out on the beach, she gave up a surprised laugh.

“Professor Emerson!” she called, waving to him from the water. He stared at her and before he could ask her anything, another person walked out into the sun. This girl gave a happy scream as she rushed out into the water, not caring about her clothing.

“Hello, Amy!” the first girl called, greeting her classmate.

“Hi there, Tanya”, Amy answered, before she was hit by a wave. Moments later, she emerged from the water, still laughing.

“Come on, professor, it’s really nice and warm!” Tanya called back to the beach. Emerson looked around for a moment, before he shook his head and sat down, pulling off his shoes and socks. Then he walked out into the water so that it only washed over his feet. Tanya and Amy laughed. Were all grown-ups like that?

While they waded back to the beach, Tanya noticed a fourth person standing in the cave, looking at them. It wasn’t too hard to recognize his pale hair and skin.

“Jonathan!” Tanya called, waving at him. He smiled, relieved, and came out to them.

“At first I thought I was alone”, he said as he gave her a friendly hug. “Then I recognized you.”

She smiled at him and continued to smile as he greeted Professor Henry Emerson and Amy Lynd. Then she turned towards the mountain once again.

“Come on”, she said after a while. The others looked surprised as she walked away across the beach. She turned towards them.

“Come on, I said”, she repeated. “There are ruins up there, would be interesting to find out what they once was.”

* * *

When they got to the top of the mountain, a long time later, Tanya immediately started to walk around the old stone-pillars that once had been buildings. After a while, Amy and Jonathan followed her, also interested in the old things, but Henry Emerson stood still. He wasn’t too sure about this. What he wanted the most wasn’t to run around ruins looking for things that were no longer there, he wanted to go back and have the lecture he’d been planning for months.

“Tanya!” he called. She looked down at him from some old stairs.

“Is there any chance we can return now?” he continued. She tilted her head, a sign of her being uncertain about something.

“I guess we have to do what we were called to do before we can return”, she answered. Henry was about to answer that when Jonathan called them from the other side of the place.

“Hurry! There’s an old door here!”

Tanya and Amy came there at the same time, Henry was walking behind, irritated. The girls looked amazed and Jonathan was proud of what he’d found.

“Well?” Tanya said after a while. The others looked at her, which made her sigh. Then she pushed the parts of the old door inwards and exposed a dark staircase.

“Has anyone got a lamp or something?” she asked.

“No”, Amy answered. Tanya nodded, before she began to walk downwards.

“Be careful”, she told them.

“What if there are rats down there!” Amy exclaimed. Tanya turned towards them.

“Well, stay here then”, she answered, continuing downwards. Jonathan followed her and as Amy didn’t want to be alone with the Professor, she hurried after them. Henry looked irritated, but then walked down as well.

When they got deeper down, after several turns, they suddenly realised that it was lighter downstairs. And when they finally got to the end of the stairs, they stood above a large room with four statues, lightened as if someone had turned on a lamp in the high roof. Tanya continued down the last set of stairs and looked at the statues.

“Two females, two males”, she said, even though the others could see that as well. “Kings and queens, it looks like.”

“What makes you think that?” Amy asked. Tanya pointed at the crowns on the statues.

“Those”, she said. “They’re not crowns of princes and princesses; they were all kings and queens.”

How Tanya could see the difference between crowns for princes and princesses and those for kings and queens no one knew. Slowly Tanya walked up to the statue of the man that looked oldest. At his feet was an open chest, just like at the other statues. She carefully bended down and picked up a shirt from the chest.

“You should fit in this one, Professor”, she said, tossing the clothing to the elder man. He looked surprised, but hadn’t got the time to ask anything before she gave him a pair of trousers as well, a long with a tunic, a belt and a pair of boots.

“What am I going to do with these?” he asked when she finally turned.

“Wear them, of course”, she answered. “”We must all find clothing that we can use here, our own clothes do not fit.”

“Seems like you’ve done this before”, Jonathan joked.

“I have.”

The three others stared at Tanya.

“My grandmother’s able to go through the wall of worlds and she often brought me with”, she explained. “I quit it when I turned ten, but here I am again; in another world.”

She looked down in the other king’s chest.

“I believe you can find something here, Jonathan”, she continued. “Maybe I can find something as well.”

“Look at this!” Amy exclaimed, holding up a blue dress. “How marvellous!”

“Well, I think you fit in it”, Tanya said. “Though, you’ll need a belt as well, and a pair of boots.

“I know”, Amy answered, smiling. “Don’t worry, Tanya.”

* * *

After a while, they’d all found clothing that fitted them. Only Amy had chosen a dress, Tanya felt much more comfortable in trousers and shirt. After they’d all changed, Jonathan pointed out a couple of knifes that were hanging on the wall. There was also some archery equipment, but since none of them knew how to string a bow they skipped those weapons.

“There should be swords as well”, Jonathan said, disappointed. “Maybe the invaders took them.”

“Or maybe they were taken by those who protected this castle”, Tanya replied as she started to walk back up the stairs. “At least I think it was a castle once, since those statues are here.”

“Well, they certainly didn’t care about it afterwards”, Henry muttered, as he began to walk back up the stairs after the others. As he placed his foot on the third step, he felt it fall deeper than it should. He gave a surprised call, making the others turn as his foot ran straight through the stone.

“A hiding!” Amy exclaimed and, as she was the closest one, she helped Henry to get his foot up again. The Professor was not as amused by the hole as the children were. Jonathan bent down and searched the hole with his hand.

“Careful”, Amy warned. “What about rats?”

Jonathan gave a scream, which made Amy jump back and scream in terror. Then she realised that both Jonathan and Tanya laughed.

“Couldn’t help it, too tempting”, he said. Tanya kneeled beside him, not caring about the look Amy gave her.

“What do you think is down there?” she asked. Jonathan grinned.

“I actually believe that we’ve found some swords here”, he said. “Well done, Professor. Now we might be able to handle the danger.”

He laughed a bit as he pulled up the first of the swords. Just as it was up, Tanya put down her hand and pulled up the others. She was able to find four more.

“Let’s take them up”, she said. “Be careful about that step, we don’t want any other to get trapped.”

* * *

As all four of them returned to the light, they realised that they’d all got pretty dusty down there. Though only Henry and Amy cared about it, Jonathan and Tanya were more interested in the swords that they’d brought up. As they examined them, they both said that the craftsmen had been extraordinary good.

“I guess at least I and the Professor should take one”, Jonathan said.

“I’ll take one as well”, Tanya said. “I’m not going to use just a knife.”

“What about Amy?” Jonathan asked and nodded towards the other girl. She was talking with the Professor, though she seemed a bit nervous.

“That depends”, Tanya answered. “If she wants one, she can have one.”

She lifted the longest of the swords, examining it once again. Then she used it for some moves that her grandmother had taught her. Jonathan whistled.

“Impressive”, he said. “I wouldn’t go near you with that sword in your hand.”

She smiled at him, before she fastened the sword in her belt.

“This one’s mine”, she said. After a while, also Jonathan had chosen his sword. They both tried to convince the Professor in carrying one, but he refused.

“Then maybe you can instead help us find a way from this place?” Tanya said.

All four of them returned to the beach were they’d met and started to walk. On some places, all they could see was the wide open sea. But a lot of the island they were on pointed back towards the land.

“Maybe we could swim?” Tanya suggested, looking at the land some hundred metres away. Jonathan looked doubtful.

“I’m not too sure about it”, he said. “It’s a long way and we have to carry weapons and clothes.”

Tanya nodded.

“What about this?” Amy called out. They turned. Amy was further up the beach, pointing at an old wooden boat. The Professor was the first one to reach her.

“It seems whole”, he said. “We’ll try and get it out into the water.”

Both he and Jonathan pulled off their tunics and started to dig out the boat. Then they partly lifted, partly pulled it down to the shore. All four of them anxiously watched it, almost expecting it to take in water. But it didn’t.

“I guess we’re lucky”, Tanya said. “We’ll leave as soon as everyone is ready.”

“We are ready!” the others shouted. Tanya just smiled, before she stepped into the boat. The others followed her, one by one. Tanya placed herself at the rear, the Professor sat in front of her with the oars and the two last were in the front. Jonathan would switch with the Professor after a while, and then back again.

As they slowly got away from the island, Tanya turned one last time to look at it. For a moment, she thought she saw the castle as it once was, but she shook her head, believing that her eyes tricked her.


	2. Chapter 2

“What’s wrong, Ed?” Peter asked, looking at his younger brother. They’d been walking in the woods for quite a while now, all of them tired. Maybe that’s why he felt so irritated, he didn’t mean to.

“Nothing”, Ed answered, but Peter had caught that look in his eyes.

“It’s not just nothing”, he said. Ed sighed.

“Just a feeling, okay?” he answered, a bit grumpy. “I just had the feeling that someone was following us.”

Peter stopped. Had Ed just read his thoughts?

“Edmund, what are you saying?” Susan asked.

“I said, just a feeling”, Edmund snapped.

“No, not just a feeling”, Peter interrupted. “He’s right; I’ve felt it too for a while.”

“Me too”, Lucy said, looking behind her. Susan nodded in agreement.

“Well, I haven’t”, Trumpkin muttered. “Not have I heard anything either, we’re alone here, at the moment.”

“Well, at least the Telmarines aren’t following us”, Ed said after some silent moments. Peter nodded sighed in relief as they once again stood next to the river.

“So where did you think that you saw Aslan?” he asked. Lucy looked irritated.

“I didn’t _think_ I saw him, I actually did!” she snapped. Then she calmed down and started to walk along the edge, keeping an eye on the other side.

“It was right over…”

She screamed as the ground gave away beneath her feet. Her siblings and Trumpkin called for her, but she’d landed just about a meter bellow. She looked up at them with a smile.

“Here”, she said.

* * *

“Did you hear that?” Amy asked, looking around in the forest. Tanya nodded, walking faster. She wasn’t sure where she was heading, but something told her this was the right way.

“Can’t we take a break?” Henry asked, quite annoyed at the moment. Though, he hadn’t been smiling since he came to that island, just been something between grumpy or mad.

“No”, Tanya answered and stepped out of the forest. Three sets of eyes turned towards her and her companions. The three sets belonged to three children of her own age, two boys and one girl. The boys immediately drew their swords and the girl raised a bow. The oldest boy ran towards her as she drew her own weapon, she heard an arrow fly past her right ear as she parried his first attack.

“What’s going on up there?” a voice asked.

“A duel, I presume”, Henry muttered. “Oh, Tanya, just quit! We have to go back.”

The boy pushed away, staring at Tanya’s face.  
“You’re a girl?” he said. She nodded, putting the sword away.

“And handling a sword?” he continued.

“Looks like that, doesn’t it?” she answered.

“I asked a question!” the voice from bellow said.

“It’s nothing”, the girl answered, putting away her bow. But it wasn’t nothing. They were looking at four people dressed in clothes that seemed familiar.

“Where did you get those clothes?” the younger boy asked. “I mean, I recognize my boots…”

He nodded towards Jonathan’s feet.

“We found them out by the ruins”, Tanya answered.

“You’ve been at the runis Cair Paravel?” the girl asked.

“Is that what it’s called?” Amy asked. “Well, I believe so, if we’re thinking about the same island. At least, there were ruins there…”

“Paravel was our castle”, the younger boy told them.

“Then you haven’t kept it too clean”, Henry muttered.

“Don’t care about him”, Tanya said. “He’s been irritating all day long, just because of that he missed his lecture.”

The children smiled at each other.

“I’m Peter”, the oldest boy said. “These are my siblings Susan and Edmund, and bellow…”

He pointed down a hole in the ground. Tanya looked down and noticed a short man with a long beard, next to a younger girl.

“That’s my last sibling, Lucy”, Peter explained. “And the dwarf is Trumpkin.”

“Nice to meet you all”, Tanya said. “My name’s Tanya, as you might already know, and these are my friends Amy and Jonathan, and the grumpy Professor is Henry. Where are you heading?”

“Don’t you know anything?” Trumpkin called.

“Actually, no”, Jonathan said. “We have no idea where we are and why we are here, Mr Trumpkin.”

“Well, you are in Narnia”, Trumpkin muttered as an answer. “What you are doing here, I can not say.”

“I would say that we are on the same kind of mission as you are”, Tanya answered. “Mind if we join you?”

Peter seemed to be about to protest, but Edmund stepped in.

“Not at all”, he answered. Tanya smiled at him and looked down in the hole.

“I hope that’s okay with you two as well?”

Lucy nodded and smiled, Trumpkin sighed.

“Well, four more can’t be bad”, he muttered as he and Lucy started to walk down the path. Tanya jumped down after them and as she turned, she saw Peter coming right after her. He still didn’t look too satisfied.

“Is he always like that?” Jonathan whispered to Edmund, who was right behind him.

“Since a year back, yes”, Edmund answered.


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning, Tanya woke up early. She wasn’t sure what had made her wake up, but now it was impossible to fall asleep again. Then she saw Peter sneaking of into the forest. She wrinkled her forehead. What was he doing? She carefully looked around. Their fire had burned out during the night. Just as well, fires just draw people’s attention. That was when she noticed that also Lucy was gone. She carefully got to her feet, holding her sword in one hand as she sneaked after the two siblings.

“What are you doing?” Edmund hissed. She turned, nodding at him. He looked surprised, but then also he noticed the two that were missing, which made him go round and wake the others. As he looked towards the place were Tanya had been standing, he noticed that she was already gone.

Tanya had hurried away and as she came further and further away from their campsite, she heard another sound than the soft breathing of the others. The sound of metal against metal. She hurried up, started to run and came around a cliff just as she saw Lucy run up in front of her.

“No!” she called. “Stop it!”

Tanya came up to her side, staring at Peter who just seconds ago had been fighting another boy. This one had black hair and to Tanya he looked a bit Latin. Peter turned his gaze from them to the creatures that came up around them. Tanya looked at them all, surprised. There were minotaurs, centaurs, fauns, dwarves and all kinds of animals, all of them looking at the four humans. Peter turned towards the other boy.

“Prince Caspian?” he asked.

“And who are you?” the boy snapped. Just as he’d said that, Susan and Edmund came up on Lucy’s other side.

“Peter!” Susan called. Caspian looked surprised and so did a lot of the creatures around them. Even more surprised they looked as Jonathan, Amy and Henry came up beside Tanya. Then Caspian turned to Peter, studying the sword that he’d drawn out of a tree. Tanya recognized it, it was Peter’s sword.

“High King Peter?” Caspian asked. Peter took the sword back.

“I believe you called”, he answered. Caspian looked at the seven other humans.

“I thought you’d be… older”, he said, for a moment locking eyes with Susan. Henry looked angry again. He was a grown-up!

“Well, if you like, we can come back in a few years”, Peter snapped.

“No!” Caspian called. “No, it’s alright. It’s just… you’re not exactly what I expected.”

Once again he locked eyes with Susan, who looked away.

“I doubt you are what we expected, either”, Jonathan said. As Trumpkin had told them Prince Caspian’s story the day before, they all agreed on that. None of them had expected a boy this young. But then again, the four Pevensie-siblings had been Kings and Queens of Narnia (Trumpkin’s story as well) long before, and they hardly looked older now.

“I thought there would just be four of you”, Caspian said. “But you are eight.”

“I guess someone wanted to send you some extra help”, Tanya said, stepping forward. “My name is Tanya, these are my friends Jonathan, Amy and Professor Henry Emerson. We’ve come to help you in your fight.”

“What?” Henry hissed and seemed to want to kill Tanya, but Amy and Jonathan held him back.

“If you excuse me, young Tanya, but it seems like all of your friends do not agree with you”, a centaur said. Tanya gave him a graceful nod.

“Professor Emerson is still quite upset about missing his lecture”, she explained. “Since we got here, he hasn’t showed even the smallest smile. But I guess that’s how teachers are.”

The other children smiled knowingly, even Caspian did so. Then a mouse stepped forward, the mere sight of him made Amy turn pale and she took a small step backwards.

“We’ve anxiously awaited your return, my liege”, he said, bowing towards the four Pevensie-siblings. Then he made a second bow towards Tanya and her friends, but not as deep as the previous one.

“Oh my God, he’s so cute”, Lucy whispered to Susan. Immediately the mouse spun around with his small sword drawn. Amy screamed and jumped in behind Henry.

“Who said that?” the mouse demanded to know. Lucy turned red.

“Um, sorry”, she said. The mouse looked taken by surprise and quickly made another bow.

“My Lady, I have my honour to defend, but I do not wish to kill you for it”, he said. Tanya smiled while she fastened her sword in her belt, as she hadn’t had the time to do so before.

“It seems like we stand face to face with the bravest mouse of all”, she said. The mouse stared at her for a moment and then made a bow towards her.

“I am Reepicheep, My Lady”, he said. “And your comment flatters me.”

Tanya continued to smile and as Caspian announced that they should all be getting back to camp, she walked in beside the mouse.

“If you excuse me, My Lady”, he said. “I didn’t expect a woman to go dressed like a man and also carry a sword.”

“I’ve never felt too comfortable in dresses”, she answered him. “And honestly, the sword almost stabilises me, like your tail does to you.”

“You’ve been in a lot of fights, My Lady?” Reepicheep continued. Tanya shook her head.

“This war against the Telmarines will be the greatest and the only one so far that I do not have a relative by my side”, she answered. “Instead I have friends. Maybe that’s even better.”

Reepicheep made a deep bow and then ran forward to walk beside Lucy. Tanya smiled. The young girl had become almost like her own sister during the previous day.

No one of them noticed when Professor Henry Emerson slipped away through the trees.


	4. Chapter 4

His plan was simple; he had to get back to the island and get to the cave they’d come out from. Then he would be back in a world that he knew and liked. Not like this one, with children bossing over grown-ups and animals that talked. And all of those weird creatures, they gave him goose-bumps. It would be too late for him to give his lecture now, but if he told those that had come to see him that he had to go away to visit a sick aunt of his. He would then tell, with a sad look on his face, that he had been present when she drew her last breath. They would understand why he had had to leave.

And he definitely wouldn’t tell them some story about being transported into another world, then he would be considered to be mad. That was the least he was. He was a respected Professor, one of the youngest to be called a Professor actually, and he was not mad. This would later be just one of his strange nightmares.

He had passed the river now and had climbed up the mountain on the other side. It wasn’t possible that he would make the whole distance in a day, but as a lone wanderer he would be able to walk in his own pace and not have to follow the others.

He could see that the forest cleared some metres away. Then he’d reached the shore. He smiled to himself, congratulating himself in his mind. So he had been able to go the distance in one day. He stepped out of the forest, and stopped. This was not where he’d intended to end up; this was a place where people ran back and forth building a bridge over a river. There where soldiers everywhere and he felt scared. Something told him they wouldn’t be helping him get back to the island.

“Hey! You!”

A man grabbed him by his shoulder, pushing him forward.

“Don’t just stand there, you’re here to build that damn bridge!” the man said, giving him another hit in the back. Henry was about to protest, but then realised that it would be to no use. This man wouldn’t listen to him.

* * *

“Has anyone seen Henry?” Tanya asked, walking back along the line. Jonathan followed her, adding descriptions of their missing companion. It seemed like no one had seen him since before they came to the Hill, their camp, and Tanya got really worried. What was that stupid Professor up to? He was definitely not someone that should be wandering about in the forest as he didn’t carry any weapons and didn’t know how to see the difference between a friend and a foe. Jonathan comforted her, telling her it would be alright, that he would be back, but Tanya doubted his words. She knew that Henry didn’t like the company he’d ended up with and he was still pissed off about that lecture.

“We’ll send people to look for him”, Glenstorm, the centaur captain, said. Several of the mice ran off into the forest, followed by several birds and some squirrels, though Glenstorm warned them that squirrels could have a hard time concentrating.

Since that, Tanya had been sitting on the grass-covered hill, some metres up from the entrance. Some of the scouts had returned, most of them squirrels who had been very excited about the food they’d found. But none of them had seen Henry.

“Tanya!”

Amy came running out of the Hill, looking up at her. She slowly rose, seeing the worried look on Amy’s face.

“What?” she called.

“There’s a meeting, you have to come, now!” Amy called back. Tanya nodded and hurried down, before she rushed after her friend into the tunnels of the Hill.

She’d hardly walked inside of it before and she found herself stopping every ten metres, looking at some new painting on the cave wall. Amy pushed her on until they reached the Hill’s most sacred room. At first Tanya couldn’t understand why, but then she saw the old stone, cracked in the middle, that was in the middle of the room. The others had gathered around the table, it seemed like Peter and Caspian were arguing. They hardly noticed her approaching.

“If we stay here, they will starve us out”, Peter said, while giving Caspian an angry look.

“At least we have our stronghold here”, Caspian answered, his voice stern.

“Hey!” Tanya called. They turned towards her.

“Is this how you behave in an army, or have I a feeling of that you two are about to split us up?” she asked, leaning back against the wall. None of them said anything.

“Have I got this right?” she continued. “You, Peter, wish to go and find the Telmarines, while you, Caspian, whish to stay here and attack from here when they find us.”

Susan nodded.

“Those are the two ideas, yes”, she said. Tanya nodded, looking at the two leaders with her forehead wrinkled.

“You are both right, in a way”, she said. “If we have to retreat after a battle here, the Telmarines will have us caught.”

Peter nodded, a triumphant look in his eyes. She didn’t like it.

“Though, if we attack, there is a risk of that we’ve counted their numbers wrong, that the Telmarines will have us caught there as well”, Tanya continued. The triumphant look disappeared from Peter’s eyes.

“Both ways could lead to victory”, she ended. “And both ways could lead to a massacre.”

By some reason she felt that she was the only one that hadn’t given her opinion about this. It was like being the one deciding the destiny of an entire world.

“What do you think?” Glenstorm asked. That was when she realised that it was probably already decided and by seeing the look that Peter gave the centaur, she realised who was going to win. And it wasn’t something she liked.

“I think Caspian’s plan is the best one”, she said. Caspian gave her a thankful smile, but Peter looked like he was going to explode.

“What made you chose that?” he asked.

“I do not have to tell you everything”, Tanya answered in a frosty tone.

“Why do I even ask for your opinion?” Peter muttered.

“Why are you all talking like that?” Lucy asked. She was sitting on the table, looking at them all.

“Like what?” Peter asked.

“Well, you all act like the choice is either dying here or dying there”, she continued. Peter sighed, turning to face his younger sister.

“Lucy, I do not think you’ve listened…”

“No, you haven’t listened!” she exclaimed. “Have you forgotten who really defeated the White Witch?”

She turned towards the wall behind her were a great lion had been carved out of the stone. Tanya felt like his eyes were watching every single movement they made. Peter frowned and turned towards his sister once again.

“I think we’ve waited for Aslan long enough”, he said and stomped out of the cave to organize the troops.

* * *

“I just wanted to thank you for believing in my decision”, Caspian said. They were walking up the corridors of the hill. Tanya nodded slowly.

“I think that this is not a good night for an attack”, she said after a while. “There’s something in the air…”

“They’re called clouds”, Peter said, pushing past them. Tanya raised an eyebrow at him.

“So you think that the clouds will give you victory?” she asked, sarcastically. He twisted around, standing in front of her, eying her with a grim expression on his face.

“If you didn’t know, the clouds will help disguising us and leaving the land in complete darkness”, he hissed. She looked calmly into his eyes.

“Really?” she said. “Well, last I looked there’s also a moon behind those clouds and if the clouds disappear, you will have light all over.”

She walked past him, catching up with Caspian who’d walked a bit ahead.

“He’s quite irritating”, she muttered to the Prince, but he didn’t answer. They were approaching the gate of the hill. Outside, several griffins were waiting for them.

“You all remember the plan?” Peter asked as he came outside.

“Yes”, Glenstorm answered. He looked at Tanya, who shuddered.

“I will not go”, she said. The others looked at her.

“What?” Peter exclaimed. “You’ll ruin the whole plan!”

“No, I won’t”, she answered. “I would be in the army, as a lot of others. My mission wasn’t like yours or Caspian’s or Susan’s or Edmund’s, my mission was to fight like the others of the Narnians.”

Then she turned her gaze to the forest.

“Besides, Henry hasn’t returned yet”, she said slowly. Jonathan, who was standing with one of Glenstorm’s sons, came up to her side and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

“If it is your decision to stay here, I will respect it”, he said. “I know you’ve been extremely worried and you still are.”

Peter sighed, annoyed.

“Very well, stay here then”, he said in a frosty tone. “Though I do not understand why you care so much about that Professor.”

Tanya twisted around and pulled him closer, one of her hands gripping his shirt so that she almost lifted him off the ground. Then she threw him to the ground, her eyes were dark as she looked down on him.

“Does the word _friend_ mean anything to you?” she hissed, before she gave the others an encouraging nod and walked back under the hill. Peter pulled himself up and didn’t look after her even once as he allowed the griffin to lift him off the ground.


	5. Chapter 5

Tanya was still angry when she reached the chamber with the table and she threw her sword on the floor.

“What’s wrong?”

She looked up and saw Amy standing in the door, next to Lucy. The younger girl took a few steps backwards, staring at Tanya. The eyes that had been dark blue before now looked black and in the light of the fire that burned along the wall, she looked vaguely familiar.

“How is it possible that no one cares?” Tanya said, her voice stern and her chest heaving like she’d been running. “How can people

be so cold?”

She slammed her hand into the stone-table. The pain that shot up from it felt good for a moment, before she realised that she’d probably broken it. That was when she realised how painful it really was and she sat down on the stone. Lucy rushed forward, releasing a small bottle from her belt.

“Here”, she said, pouring a drop into Tanya’s mouth. She immediately felt that the pain disappeared and she could move her hand again. She looked at Lucy in surprise.

“What is that?” she asked.

“Juice of the fire-flowers”, Lucy answered. “It was given to me as a gift, just like the sword and shield were given to Peter and the bow and the horn were given to Susan.”

“Well, it seems like you’ve got a really useful gift”, Tanya said, massaging her wrist, before she sighed. “I’m sorry I got so angry, but I have to admit that it was because of your brother.”

Lucy sat down next to her on the table, Amy sat on her other side.

“Why is he like that?” Tanya asked. “Like everyone has to follow him, like he’s the one who’s always right.”

“I guess he’s angry about something as well”, Amy said. “He wants to get rid of the anger and it hits everyone else.”

“Well, he won’t solve anything like that”, Tanya muttered. “I can understand why he was irritated on me. I was one of those who didn’t believe him, and so were you, Lucy.”

She turned towards the younger girl and then towards Amy. Her friend blushed.

“I must admit that I didn’t give any of them a vote”, she said. “I don’t know anything about war.”

“And I didn’t vote either”, Lucy said. “I just told him my opinion.”

Tanya nodded and rose, walking up to the carved picture of the lion.

“Is this Aslan?” she asked. Lucy nodded.

“Yes”, she answered and looked away. “I hope he’ll be here soon, but… things don’t happen the same way twice.”

“What?”

Tanya turned. She was sure she’d heard those words before.

“He told me that”, Lucy said. “Or, I think he did. It was a dream, I think, the reason that I got up early the morning we met Caspian.”

Tanya looked away from them, turning her gaze towards the lion again. The picture was so detailed, when she touched it she could almost feel the warmth of the lion’s fur.

“He led us here, didn’t he?” she said after a while. The next moment, she didn’t know how she could possibly think that. Lucy looked surprised.

“I did see him in the forest, some hours before we met you”, she said and looked at Tanya and Amy. “Right where we first met, that was where I saw him, across the ravine.”

Tanya stepped down again and looked at Lucy for a moment. It seemed like she wanted to say something, but she hesitated and walked towards the door.

“Where are you going?” Amy asked, rising. Tanya turned towards them.

“To find Henry”, she answered.

* * *

His body ached. How was it possible that it all ended like this, in a small tent with ten other men next to a flowing river? He would have given anything to go back, to re-do his deeds during this day. But it wasn’t possible. After a while, he slowly rose and walked out of the tent. Every step he took made him grimace of the pain. He wouldn’t survive another day here. The rest of them didn’t seem to feel like he did. They were all trained, soldiers of the Telmarine Troops he’d heard. That was what they thought he was as well, he knew that now.

Slowly he sat down next to the logs, near the forest. Silent tears fell from his eyes. He would have given anything to see Amy again. See her scared face when she noticed Reepicheep, the mouse, and see how she smiled when she saw the wonderful clothes out on the island. He didn’t want to go there now and even if he’d wanted too, he doubted that it would be possible for him to go there.

And he wanted to see Jonathan again. The boy hadn’t done too much during this journey, mostly he’d been hanging around with Tanya. They were good friends, he knew that.

And Tanya… how he longed to see her, hear her voice again. He even smiled when he remembered her speaks about him being angry about missing a lecture, and he wasn’t sure of the last time he’d been smiling. It felt good, it gave him strength. He slowly stood up and started to walk away from the river, back into the forest. There were no guards, this wasn’t a camp for prisoners. This was something that the Telmarines were doing to be able to cross the river. The bigger camp was on the other side, here they mostly put trees down and had to smash them in the water with a machine. He knew that the bridge they were building would be done pretty soon.

He walked among the trees, every step he took limbered him up. Soon he would reach the camp again, the camp that he now longed for. Then something whined past him and he turned. He had been mistaken, there were guards, and they were after him now. All of them, three that he could see at the moment, were carrying crossbows and the arrows were the ones that whined past him. How it was possible that they’d missed all of the arrows they’d shot before he noticed them, he didn’t know. But now he turned and started to run, deeper and deeper into the forest and the darkness. His legs protested, his breathing was heavy and all the time the arrows came past him, missing his body with less than an inch.

He didn’t know how long he’d been running, but he didn’t intend to stop and turn, think about it all. Arrows were still passing his ears. Maybe he was running in circles, maybe that was why they were still after him. He suddenly saw someone coming towards him. He stopped, realising that he was surrounded. Maybe it was for the best. He sank down on the ground, trying to stay awake and not faint. The person in front of him came closer, a sword was drawn.

“Get away from him!”

The voice was familiar, but he was too tired to think about where he’d heard it before. The arrows hit the sword, flying in other directions. The person jumped over him, standing behind him, guarding him. Why?

Suddenly an arrow hit the person’s wrist and a scream of pain echoed in the darkness. It woke him up from his thoughts and he realised who it was. That made him grab his own sword, that he’d taken with him from the camp by the river. He rose, rushing towards the men. He wasn’t sure how he was able to block the arrows that came, but suddenly one of the men lay at his feet, bleeding from a wound on his throat. He didn’t stay to look at it, instead he approached the second man. This one was more prepared and managed to push him back, but the person that had saved him came in between, making a fast strike with her unharmed left hand and slaying the man. The third Telmarine ran away through the forest, screaming something at them that none of them heard.

“Tanya”, he whispered, once again realising how tired he was. She used her left hand to place his arm over her shoulders.

“Yes, it’s me”, she said, breathing heavily. His eyes noticed the deep wound that the arrow had made in her right wrist.

“You need to stop the bleeding”, he said. She shook her head.

“It will be alright”, she said. “The most important thing at the moment is to get you back to the Hill, safe and whole.”

“No, the most important thing is that you survive”, he said in a sharp tone. She stopped, stared at him in surprise.

“Henry, I hardly recognize you”, she said slowly, but he shook his head.

“Don’t”, he said. She seemed to be about to protest, but then turned her gaze forward again.

“Come on, it’s not too far”, she said, starting to lead him towards the edge of the wood.

* * *

“The Telmarines were after him”, Tanya told them. She was sitting on the table, the Stone Table, as Lucy called it. Lucy was leaning against her, Amy sat on a stone closer to the door.

“Why?” Lucy asked. Tanya shuddered.

“I don’t know”, she answered. “Something must’ve happened to him.”

“There’s another thing as well”, Amy filled in. “When you came here, we all expected him to whine about his own pain and not care about anything else. But he didn’t.”

Tanya nodded, agreeing. Henry’s behaviour towards them all had changed.

“I wanted to ask him about it all in the forest, but he stopped me”, she admitted. “Whatever it was, it was something he didn’t want to remember.”

She leaned back on the stone, allowing Lucy to rest her head on her stomach.

“How to you think the others are doing?” Amy asked in a low voice. It was obvious that she was worried.

“Hopefully they’ll not loose too many”, Tanya answered, her tone bitter. Still, if the others hadn’t been away during this night, it might be possible that she hadn’t found Henry.

“They’ve been gone for so long”, Lucy murmured, sitting up and picking up her bottle. “The day came along with you and Henry, so they should be back soon.”

Tanya nodded, her face stern. She didn’t want to think about it.

Suddenly, Henry came into the room. His body was still stiff, but in his new clothes, clothes that had been brought from different villages, he looked more like a high Lord than a Professor. His voice was clear when he spoke.

“They’re almost here!”


	6. Chapter 6

At first, none of them understood what he was talking about. Then they all rose and rushed past him, through the tunnels and out through the gate. There they stopped. The line of fighters was so short, about half of them must’ve been killed. Tanya put her hand on Lucy’s shoulder, seeing the terrified look on the younger girl’s face.

“What happened?” Lucy asked when her older siblings and Caspian came up the stairs. Peter’s face was dark.

“Ask him”, he snapped, making a short nod towards Caspian. Caspian stopped by surprise, Susan and Edmund standing behind him.

“Peter!” Susan called, irritated.

“Me?” Caspian said, looking at Peter who approached the three girls. “You could have called it off, there was still time!”

Peter stopped, turning to look at Caspian.

“No, there wasn’t”, he answered. “Thanks to you! If you’d kept to the plan, those soldiers might be alive right now!”

“Peter!”

Now it was Tanya who called. She couldn’t believe that it was just Caspian’s fault.

“And if you just had stayed here as I suggested, they definitely would be!” Caspian bellowed, walking up to Peter. Now he was really angry, both of them were.

“You called us, remember?” Peter growled. Caspian’s face was stern, his eyes dark with anger.

“My first mistake”, he said shortly.

“No, your first mistake was thinking you could lead these people!” Peter bellowed, then he spun around, intending to walk away.

“Hey!” Caspian called. Peter turned once again.

“I am not the one who abandoned Narnia!”

He walked towards Peter, staring into his opponents eyes.

“No, you’re the one who _invaded_ Narnia!” Peter shouted back. Caspian stopped for a brief moment, before he pushed past Peter. He gave Tanya a short glance and intended to pass her, Amy and Lucy too, but Peter’s words stopped him.

“You, him, your father!” Peter continued, screaming over the field. “Narnia’s better off without the lot of you!”

Caspian roared with anger, drawing his sword, intending to attack Peter. Peter drew his own sword, but before any of them could make the first move, Tanya stepped in between them.

“Stop it!” she roared. The boys looked like they didn’t intend to, but the next moment she gave each of them a punch in the face. Her fists left red marks on both of them.

“Be glad I didn’t crush your cheek-bones!” she said sharply. “Both of you, stop this madness! You’re on the same side, you’re both fighting _against_ Miraz! If we have fights within the own army, they’ll grow stronger!”

She intended to continue, but Glenstorm interrupted her by carrying a body towards them. Lucy gasped, pushing past the two boys and sinking down beside Trumpkin’s severely injured body. Tanya’s eyes were locked on Peter, her whole body signalled anger. When the boy turned away to look at the dwarf, who was now coming back, healed by Lucy’s potion, Tanya did the same.

“Why are you all standing there for?” Trumpkin grumped. They all smiled. After a few days in the dwarf’s company, everyone knew his way of saying thanks. Lucy rose, still smiling.

“Thank you”, Trumpkin suddenly said. She turned to him again, smiling even broader.

“My dear little friend”, he ended. Behind her, Tanya saw Peter going underground with Edmund. Susan accompanied Tanya instead.

“So, what happened?” Tanya asked and nodded at Peter. Susan sighed.

“Caspian wanted to free his old teacher, Doctor Cornelius”, she answered and nodded at an old, short man behind them. “He was down in the cellars and when Caspian was down there, he found out something.”

“What?” Tanya asked.

“It was Miraz, his uncle, that killed his father”, Cornelius answered in a low voice.

“So he wanted revenge?” Tanya guessed. Susan nodded.

“He went up to Miraz’ room, intending to kill him. Only moments later, Peter and I arrived there. Caspian was supposed to be at the gates and make sure our army got through. That was what made Peter mad in the first place.”

“Did Caspian kill Miraz then?” Tanya asked.

“No”, Susan answered. “Instead, Miraz alerted the whole castle. When our troops came in, the archers were already there. The battle didn’t last long and we lost many.”

She looked back at Glenstorm, who was comforting his wife. At least one of their sons was dead, slain in the battle.

“One of the arrows hit a minotaur that was holding the gate”, Susan told and Tanya realised that she hadn’t listened. “At least one, I think. Peter told our troops to get out, but the gate was heavy and if more than one arrow hit him, which is more likely, it must’ve been hard. Only moments after Peter got out, the minotaur fell and the ones still inside were trapped. Edmund flew over the place not long after that and saw the massacre of our troops.”

Tanya felt like she was going sick and excused herself. She needed to find Peter and tell him once and for all what she thought about him bossing around. He needed to understand now, he must understand, or they would have lost too many men when the Telmarines came here.

* * *

“Why wouldn’t you let me attack him?” Peter hissed when he and Tanya were alone in one of the rooms. She gave him a stern look.

“What do you think?” she answered, crossing her arms across her chest. “You aren’t the one to become king here, Peter. You _were_ the king and right now you _are_ the king, but you definitely do not act like one. Right now, you’re more like a child who doesn’t get the toy he wants!”

“It was his fault!” Peter bellowed. “He had to risk the entire thing by first freeing his teacher and _then_ attacking Miraz when he should’ve been at the gates, letting our army through!”

“I never liked this plan, Peter”, Tanya answered sharply. “It’s like going straight to the dragon’s lair, just waiting for it to come out and ask how you would like to be eaten!”

“It’s not!”

“Yes, it is!” Tanya roared. “Here we have a stronghold and they have their stronghold in the castle. They knew exactly how to place their men to make an efficient attack when you were all inside the gates.”

“If Caspian had been there, that wouldn’t have happened!” Peter replied.

“Caspian couldn’t have done anything different”, Tanya answered sharply. “He was in the middle of the battle when they closed the gates and so were you!”

Peter intended to reply, but he suddenly felt like something had chilled him to the bone. Almost like winter had come back.

“Do you feel that?” he asked. Tanya nodded slowly.

“Come on”, Peter continued, grabbing her arm and dragging her down the corridors. The chill grew the deeper they got. As they approached the room with the Stone Table, they both noticed the wall of ice in front of the picture of Aslan. Peter drew his sword and rushed into the room, Tanya noticed that his siblings followed him. But she hardly saw anything else than the picture in the ice. It was a woman, holding out her hand towards Caspian, who was then replaced by Peter. The three other siblings, along with Trumpkin, were fighting Nikabrik and two creatures that she didn’t recognize. But the battle seemed far away, all she could see was the picture. She was hypnotized by it and hardly noticed the sword that was suddenly driven right through the ice from behind. When the woman suddenly gave up a horrible scream, she woke up, finding it hard to breath. The ice fell apart and giant pieces of it fell down on the floor. Edmund was standing on the other side with his sword in one hand.

“I know, you had it sorted”, he said in a stern voice towards Peter, before he jumped down to his siblings, walking away. Lucy grabbed Tanya’s arm as they came up to her, pulling her along as they left the three corpses and Caspian and Peter alone in the room.

* * *

“Who was she?” Tanya asked. She and Lucy were sitting outside the Hill, on the backside, looking out over the forest. Lucy pulled up a string of grass.

“The White Witch”, she answered. “She was the ruler here before us, but she wasn’t a good one. She had put a spell over Narnia that made it always winter and never Christmas, and when someone opposed her she turned that person into a statue.”

Tanya nodded, still shaken by the experience. Lucy noticed.

“What happened with you down there?” she asked. “You were just… staring at that place where the ice-wall was.”

“You’re probably not going to believe me”, Tanya answered, looking down at her hands. After a brief moment of silence, she looked out over the woods again.

“I’ve always lived with my grandmother”, she explained. “My dad died right before I was born and my mother left me with her mother-in-law when I was not yet two years old. So I do not know any of them, not their looks or their voice or anything.”

She sat silent for a while again, just looking out over the forest.

“But when I was down there, when I saw the White Witch in the ice… I recognized her”, she continued. “I knew that I’d seen her before, smiling at me, saying that I would become a great witch one day. And when Peter asked me if I felt… something, right before we came there, I didn’t feel anything. But when we got to that room, I felt that someone was calling for me.”

She looked at Lucy.

“I think that the White Witch was my mother”, she ended her story.


	7. Chapter 7

Lucy looked surprised, seemed to want to say something but she then hesitated and looked away.

“She can’t have loved you too much, if she first had faith in you and then just left you”, she said after a while. Tanya nodded.

“Maybe”, she said, throwing away the grass she’d been playing with. “Or maybe my grandmother saved me from her.”

“What do you mean?” Lucy asked.

“I’ve told you before that my grandmother’s able to travel through the worlds”, Tanya answered. “I know that right before I turned two, I made my first trip along with her. Maybe something happened in that world that made my mother leave me.”

“But then she would’ve killed you, not left you”, Lucy said calmly. Tanya sighed.

“Yes, you’re right”, she said, pulling her fingers through her hair. “Gosh, this is madness!”

“Maybe you just need some time on your own”, Lucy said. “I’ll leave, if you want.”

“No, I think I should take a walk”, Tanya answered. “Thanks for listening to me.”

She smiled faintly, before she walked back into the cave.

She wasn’t sure where she was going, but suddenly she stood down in the room with the Stone Table once again. The ice had melted away and the corpses had been removed. Except for the fires, nothing moved in the room. She slowly walked up the steps, walking over to the carved picture of Aslan. Slowly she slid her hand along the lines. He had freed Narnia from the White Witch, her possible mother.

“You think he’ll come?”

The voice startled her and she spun around. Peter was sitting on the floor, leaning his back towards the Stone Table, looking at Aslan. It was visible he had been crying.

“I hope so”, Tanya answered, looking at the picture one last time before walking down. “Are you okay?”

“I guess”, Peter answered in a quite voice. Tanya nodded and intended to walk past him, but he grabbed her hand.

“Please”, he said. She understood and carefully sat down beside him. For a while, they both sat in silence, looking up at Aslan.

“You were right before”, Peter said after a while. “I’ve been acting really stupid lately, probably since we last returned from Narnia.”

He sighed.

“I guess this experience made me realise that.”

“You’ve forgiven Caspian, then?” she asked.

“I hope that he and you others will forgive me”, Peter answered, looking at her. “I’m the one who’s asking for forgiveness, not the opposite. You have only tried to make me see.”

Tanya smiled briefly.

“I guess this experience, as you choose to call it, makes us all see something”, she said, looking back up the picture.

“Why did you just stand in the door before?” Peter asked after a short silence. “You looked… frightened.”

“I realised something, or I think I realised something”, she answered. “And you’re probably not going to like it.”

“Tell me anyway”, Peter insisted. Tanya took a deep breath and repeated what she’d earlier told Lucy. Peter listened, looking surprised.

“So you think she’s your mother?” he said when she’d finished. Tanya nodded.

“I’m not sure”, she said. “But she was too familiar to be ignored.”

Peter nodded, looking up at Aslan again.

“At least, you haven’t turned anyone into a stone yet”, he said after a while. Tanya laughed.

“No, maybe I should”, she said, smiling at him. He smiled back, his fingers carefully touching hers. Tanya noticed that they seemed to be moving closer towards one another. Then she realised that they did. She could now feel his breathing brushing her face.

“Pete!”

The sound startled them both, making them move away from each other. Edmund came into the room.

“There you are, both of you”, he said. “You better come and see this”

Both Tanya and Peter rose, following the younger boy out of the cave. The sight that met them was both frightening and astonishing.

The Telmarines were swarming out of the forest. Thousands of them and everyone were dressed in armour and ready for battle.

“Catapults”, Edmund mumbled, nodding at some huge construction pulled forward by horses. Tanya felt Peter’s hand touching hers again and she gave it a comfortable squeeze. Even if they all died, they would definitely not die alone.

“We need to make plans”, Peter said after a while. The others nodded, but it took several moments before any of them started to walk back inside the cave. The sight of their enemies lingered in their heads as they went back to the Stone Table.

* * *

“So that’s your next big plan?” Trumpkin murmured, eying Peter who stood on the other side of the Table. Peter didn’t answer. He felt Tanya beside him and she had faith in him, he knew that. Trumpkin took a few steps towards Lucy, pointing at her.

“Sending a little girl alone into the forest?” he continued.

“It’s our only hope”, Tanya said calmly. “Aslan may not be a tame lion, but Lucy is the only one who’s seen him.”

Trumpkin seemed like he wanted to answer her, but then he turned towards Lucy instead. He looked sad, worried.

“Haven’t enough people died already?” he asked.

“Trumpkin”, the badger, Trufflehunter, sighed. “We must have faith. Nikabrik was my friend too, but he lost faith in the Kings and Queens of old. Keep your faith and everything will work out.”

“And she won’t be going alone”, Susan filled in, stepping up beside her sister. “I will go with her.”

“We need to hurry”, Henry said, looking at Peter. “The Telmarines will be knocking on our door soon.”

“If I may?”

It was Caspian. He was sitting behind Peter, next to Doctor Cornelius. Peter gave him a nod and he rose.

“Miraz may be a tyrant, but he still have to follow his people’s traditions”, he explained, a small smile appeared in his face. “There is one in particular that may buy us some time.”

The others listened to his explanation and then Peter sat down, writing a letter to Miraz. Meanwhile, the others walked away to prepare for battle. Even if they would have some more time, it wasn’t certain that the battle wouldn’t be.

Next, Peter gave the letter to Edmund, who walked away towards the Telmarine camp along with Glenstorm and the giant Wimbleweather.

“Do you think he’ll accept?” Tanya asked as she helped Peter put on his armour. He didn’t answer at first.

“I’m not sure”, he said when she locked eyes with him. “I hope he will and I believe Edmund could make him think he wanted to, but I’m not sure.”

They heard hoofs clapper out in one of the corridors. Susan and Lucy were on their way.

“They will find him, won’t they?” Tanya said, looking out through the door. Her look was worried.

“They will”, Peter said, trying to sound like he meant it. “Aslan will come.”

“But will he be here in time?” Tanya asked, looking at him. “What if it will end in another massacre? What if Miraz is stronger than you think?”

Peter didn’t look at her. He didn’t want to think about it.

“Pete, I’m sorry if these thoughts trouble you”, Tanya said after a while. “I just… I would hate to see you killed.”

He looked at her, surprised. Only a few days ago, she would have wanted him dead because of his behaviour. And now…

“Well, I’ll do my best to stay alive”, he said, taking his sword and shield. “For everyone’s sake.”

Edmund came in through the door as he finished the sentence.

“He has accepted”, the younger boy said, a triumphant smile on his face. “You’ll have some time to prepare, Pete, but not much.”

“Peter.”

It was Caspian. He looked worried as he eyed the three others.

“The Telmarines noticed Destrier”, the Prince said. Destrier was Caspian’s horse, which he had given to Susan and Lucy.

“We have to go after them before it’s too late.”

“I need to hold Miraz here”, Peter answered. “You’ll have to go.”

Caspian looked surprised. He definitely hadn’t expected Peter to ask _him_ to go after his sisters.

“Caspian, hurry”, Tanya said, grabbing his arm and waking him up. “I’m going with you, the faster we stop the Telmarines the better.”

In the doorway, she turned towards Peter.

“You promise that you’ll stay alive?” she asked.

“I’ll try.”

* * *

Moments later, she and Caspian rode off into the woods to find Lucy and Susan.


	8. Chapter 8

They hadn’t been riding too long when they saw the Telmarines ahead of them. Tanya grabbed the small knife hanging at her belt and threw it at the nearest one, while Caspian drew his sword and killed the Telmarine attacking Susan.

“You’re sure you don’t need that horn?” he said, smiling at her. Susan smiled back and got up behind Caspian. Tanya held her horse still.

“Where’s Lucy?” she asked.

“She rode off, I told her to”, Susan answered.

“Which way?”

Susan nodded in the direction they had been heading and without another word Tanya rode away after the younger girl. Caspian seemed to consider following, but he knew he would be needed back at the Hill if the duel didn’t go as planned.

* * *

Peter grimaced when he walked away towards Edmund. His left arm, Miraz had bended it in a direction that was not natural. He hadn’t noticed the pain before, or maybe he had just used it as a reason to continue fighting. But now, when they’d taken a break, it shot right through him. He sat down on the chair and saw Caspian and Susan approaching after giving the horse’s reins to one of the dwarfs.

“Lucy?” he managed to ask.

“She got through”, Susan answered and gave Caspian a quick glance. “With a little help.”

Peter looked into the woods behind his sister. He wasn’t sure what he was looking for. Maybe Lucy, maybe Aslan, or even more possible; Tanya. Where was she? Why hadn’t she returned with Caspian? After a while he looked back at Susan.

“You better go up there”, he said, nodding at the place over the Hill’s entrance were the archers stood. Susan nodded and gave him a hug. He tried not to, but he groaned of pain. She immediately let go.

“Smile and wave”, Edmund hissed behind his back as Susan ran off towards the Hill. Peter turned towards his army, raised his sword and managed to smile. A cheer rose into the air.

He then sank down on the chair and Edmund sat down next to him.

“I think it’s dislocated”, Peter said as Edmund helped him off with the shield. Edmund nodded.

“Ed”, Peter said. His brother looked at him.

“What do you think happens at home, if you die here?”

Edmund looked away. He didn’t even want to think about it. Instead he grabbed Peter’s arm and pulled. Peter gave a low scream of pain when his arm was back in its hold, though it still hurt.

“We’ll take that later, Pete”, he said. Peter looked over at his opponent and saw that Miraz stood ready. The three minutes break they’d taken was already over. Peter slowly rose and Edmund handed him his helmet. He shook his head. As he saw Miraz walking into the ring, also he without a helmet, he slowly walked down as well. Maybe this was it. He wasn’t the one to save Narnia; he would help Caspian and die to see a true King on the throne again. Even if that meant dying.

* * *

Now and then, she saw the Telmarine soldier’s armour among the trees. But she had no arrows, no more knives to throw. She had to get to him before she could attack and she pressed her horse even more.

She heard Lucy scream in front of the Telmarine, the next moment she saw her horse rear and the younger girl fell off. They’d come out to a place where the trees weren’t as many, but she still had a hard time seeing why the horse had reared. Maybe the Telmarine had hit it with an arrow. She drew her sword, gave up a scream and charged forward.

But she wasn’t even close to the Telmarine when he fell off his horse. She actually had to steer her own horse away to make sure that she wasn’t hit by the gigantic animal that now threw the Telmarine to the ground. She held her horse still, staring at the animal as it released the Telmarine, who rushed away into the forest. Then it turned its gaze towards her on the horse back. She stared into his deep, blue eyes. It was him!

“Aslan!” she heard Lucy scream. The young girl rushed forward and threw her arms around the big lion’s neck. He laughed and lay down on the ground, having Lucy between his front paws. Silently, Tanya jumped off from her horse and put the sword back.

“I knew it was you”, Lucy said as she sat up. “The whole time, I knew it.”

“Then why didn’t you come to me?” Aslan asked. Lucy sat silent.

“I guess I was afraid to come alone”, she answered. Then she looked up at him again.

“If I’d come sooner, all of those who died, could I have stopped it?” she asked.

“You can’t tell what could’ve happened, Lucy”, Aslan answered. He looked up at Tanya, who stood some metres away. She made a deep bow for him.

“I’m glad to have met you, My Lord Aslan”, she said. He rose, walking up towards her.

“And I am glad to have met you, Tanya”, he said. “Your grandmother is a friend of mine.”

“She is?” Tanya said, looking at him in surprise.

“We are from the same line, Tanya, the line of those who can walk through the walls of the worlds”, Aslan answered.

“You mean that you are related?” Lucy asked, standing beside Tanya.

“In a way, yes.”

“What about… the White Witch?” Tanya said, swallowing.

“You’re afraid of what I might answer?” Aslan asked.

“A bit, yes.”

“The truth about the White Witch, you found out not long ago”, Aslan answered. “She is your mother. The reason she left you with your grandmother was because of that your grandmother took you to me.”

“She did?”

“Yes, she wanted to protect you. By making me touch you, your grandmother hid your abilities from Jadis, the White Witch. Then, your mother left you. Your grandmother stopped her from killing you and instead sent her back in time, to a world that was dying. From there, she used the help of two humans to get to London. And then she came here, when Narnia was created.”

“So the reason that the White Witch came here is because of that my grandmother stopped her from killing me?” Tanya asked, staring at the lion.

“No, none of you was ever to blame.”

“But I can use magic, can’t I?” Tanya said. “That’s the reason that I can travel through the worlds.”

“Yes, you’ve been able to use part of your abilities”, Aslan answered. “And the time will come when you’ll be able to master your full power.”

He turned towards Lucy with a smile.

“Now Lucy, I think your friends have slept long enough.”

He raised his head, shook his mane and let out a roar that echoed over Narnia. Tanya looked up in the trees and saw how they began to move, without any wind blowing through the woods. The trees were awake.

* * *

The battle wasn’t going too well. Now they weren’t even able to retreat, as one of the catapults that the Telmarines used had blocked the entrance. They’d charged once again, knowing that they had to do whatever they could to drive them back. Peter still looked around now and then. Where were Tanya, and Lucy and Aslan? Why hadn’t they come?

Caspian had fallen into the hole in the ground that they’d made in the beginning of the battle, when Caspian’s men had ridden under ground and smacked the pillars that held the roof of one of the tunnels. That had been a good first attack; it was after that one that everything had gone bad.

Suddenly, he heard something behind him. Something that creaked and sounded just like a tree moving in the wind. Peter turned and noticed that it actually was a tree and it was moving, but not in the wind.

“The trees!” he called to the others in his army, though they’d probably seen it as well. Several trees were moving in on the battlefield, sending their roots across the field and throwing Telmarines away.

“Lucy”, Edmund said when he came up by Peter’s side. Peter smiled, relieved. Aslan had come, he was sure, and Lucy had found him.

“They’re retreating!” Caspian called. Peter woke up from his thoughts and looked at the Telmarines, who were now running away from the Narnian troops.

“To the river!” they heard Lord Sopespian call. The Narnians stopped, looked at Peter and Caspian for a moment. When both of the boys nodded, they all charged after them. This battle wasn’t over yet.

* * *

They saw the Telmarines coming on the other side. Some started to wade over the river and some started to ride across the bridge. Lord Sopespian held his horse on the bridge, looking at Tanya and Lucy in surprise, then he turned towards his men. They were all looking at the great lion that now approached on the other side, the one that Sopespian hadn’t seen yet. But when he turned, he did. And the sight frightened him. Though, he thought, two girls and a lion was nothing against his army. And so he charged forward over the bridge.

Aslan gave a loud roar. At first, nothing seemed to happen, but then the water started to stream in the opposite direction and too fast. Slowly it became more and more shallow. And then another roar was heard, but this time it was not Aslan. This time, it was the river that came back. And as it rose in front of the bridge, it was shaped like an old man. Aslan smiled at him and so did Lucy, but Tanya raised her sword in respect. He nodded at them, before he dived, became the river again. And then, he rose with the bridge in his hands. The Telmarines fell off one by one, until only Sopespian was left. He was staring into the River God’s face, frightened, before he gave one last scream as the God swallowed him, his horse and the bridge.

“One day, you’ll learn to call him as well”, Aslan said to Tanya in a low voice.

“Really?”

“You have it in you.”


	9. Chapter 9

When the Telmarines realised that Sopespian was dead, they surrendered themselves to the Narnians. They were told to cross the river and lay down their weapons. Several of the Narnians crossed as well, making sure that not one of the Telmarines ran away. The humans among the Narnians also crossed the river; Peter, Susan, Edmund and Caspian in the front, Jonathan, Henry and Amy behind them. When they reached the other shore, they all knelt in front of Aslan.

“Rise, Kings and Queens of Narnia”, the lion said. The three Pevensies rose, smiling.

“All of you”, Aslan said, looking at Caspian. He slowly looked up.

“I do not think I am ready”, he said.

“It’s for that very reason, that I think you are”, Aslan answered. Caspian looked up once again, before he slowly rose. Edmund, who stood beside him, smiled and Caspian carefully smiled back.

“I also bid you, sons of Adam and daughter of Eve, to rise”, Aslan continued. Henry, Jonathan and Amy slowly rose, looking a bit uncertain. But the look Aslan gave each of them filled them with trust and soon also they smiled.

“And where is this dear little friend of yours?” Aslan continued. The children smiled and all turned their gazes towards Trumpkin, who stood near the water collecting the Telmarine weapons. He turned towards them and then turned back, then he gathered some courage and walked over to them, but stopped at a safe distance. He knelt and put his sword in the ground. Aslan roared, but the children could hear it was a friendly roar.

“Do you see him now?” Lucy asked, grinning at Trumpkin. The dwarf slowly nodded, slightly shaking, before he rose.

At that moment, the mice came closer to them. Some of them played a sorrow-full song and the humans saw that on the litter lay Reepicheep. He was still breathing. Lucy sank down next to the brave mouse and gave him a drop from her bottle. Soon, the mouse rose.

“Thank you, Your Majesty”, he said, bowing towards Lucy. That was when he noticed Aslan and he was taken by surprise, but quickly made a new bow.

“Your Majesty!” he exclaimed. “I’m honoured to…”

For a while he lost his balance and that was when he realised that his tail was gone. He quickly jumped back, holding his hands over the little stump that was left.

“I’m completely out of myself”, he said. He turned towards Lucy.

“Perhaps one more drop?”

Lucy looked doubtful.

“I don’t think it does that.”

“You can have a go”, Reepicheep said. Aslan gave a low laugh.

“It suits you well, my friend”, he said.

“It is with deep regret, My Liege, but I’m afraid I must withdraw”, Reepicheep said and made another bow, not as deep as the previous since he didn’t want to loose his balance once again. “Because with the loss of my tail I’ve also lost my honour.”

“Maybe you should care less about your honour, honourable mouse”, Aslan said.

“Well, it’s not just the honour”, Reepicheep quickly answered. “It’s also great for climbing, and grabbing things, and…”

“Your Honour, we will not keep our tails either if our leader does not”, one of the other mice said. They were all holding their tails in one hand and their swords were ready to cut them off.

“Not for your honour, but for the love of your people”, Aslan said. And as he finished the sentence, a new tail replaced Reepicheep’s stump.

“Look! Look!”

He turned towards the other mice, smiling holding his new tail in one hand. Then he turned back towards Aslan.

“Thank you”, he said. “Thank you, Your Majesty. I will treasure it always, as a constant reminder of my deep humility.”

The others smiled at him as he and his men scattered off to help the other Narnians. Tanya felt that Peter was looking at her and she carefully met his gaze. They smiled at each other.

“You stayed alive”, she said when they walked side by side behind Aslan.

“You told me to”, he answered, but then grimaced a bit as he moved his left arm. “Though, it wasn’t easy.”

“What happened?” Tanya asked, pulling him out of the line.

“Miraz dislocated it”, Peter answered. “Ed pulled it back, though it still hurts.”

“And you fought a battle with that?” Tanya said and shook her head. “Sometimes, King Peter, I do not understand you at all.”

Peter smiled.

“Well, at least you’re always honest with me”, he said. “You didn’t accompany us on the Raid since you showed that you didn’t like the plan. No one else has ever done something like that.”

He sighed and looked over the river.

“Though, I must admit that I was a bit worried when you didn’t return.”

“I knew that the danger wasn’t over once we’d found Susan”, Tanya said and started to walk. “One of the Telmarines got away, I couldn’t let him catch up with Lucy. Though, I was a bit late. Aslan was faster than I was.”

She smiled at Peter, who smiled back.

“I guess that I would’ve done the same”, he said, carefully grabbing her hand. She nodded, lightly squeezing his hand.

“Tanya”, he suddenly said, stopping her. She turned towards him, raising an eyebrow. He seemed to be about to say something else, but then hesitated. Instead he leaned forward and his lips brushed hers. Her eyes fell close and she responded, putting a hand on his cheek as he deepened the kiss.

None of their friends seemed to notice it, they were all off to help collecting weapons. But Aslan stayed, smiling as he saw the young couple.

* * *

The next day, they all rode through the city next to the castle. People were cheering and throwing flowers over them. Caspian, the newly crowned king, rode first alongside Aslan. Then came Peter and Tanya and after them the rest of their companions. Peter now and then glanced at Tanya. She was riding the brown horse she’d been riding when she rode off with Caspian, and her dark blonde hair was newly washed and combed. He found himself wondering how such a magnificent creature could possibly love him. But she did, he knew that now.

They’d spent the previous day together, wandering the woods and enjoying each others company. Sometimes he’d kissed her, sometimes she’d surprised him by sneaking up from behind and kissing his neck while resting her hands on his stomach. She was full of surprises, he’d realised. Not only was she the daughter of the White Witch, she was also related to Aslan! Though, she’d said, he should probably be her great-great-great-great-grandmother’s father’s cousin or something like that.

Once they reached the castle, a big feast started, celebrating the peace between Narnians and Telmarines. Not until now, the others started to notice the feelings between Tanya and Peter, as they danced half of the night and stayed closed to one another during the other half of the time.

* * *

Caspian hosted a ball that night, a coronation-ball, and they were all invited. Tanya was looking through her wardrobe, trying to find out what to wear.

“You’re not done yet?”

Amy was standing in the door, already dressed and done. Tanya grimaced.

“I just don’t know what to wear”, she sighed and continued to look through the large amount of dresses. “It’s just… I can’t…”

“No way, you’re in love?” Amy whispered, her eyes glittering with excitement. She quickly stepped inside and closed the door.

“Who’s the lucky guy?” she asked and sat down on the large bed. Tanya blushed.

“Peter”, she mumbled. Amy giggled and silently clapped her hands.

“Well, no wonder you two disappeared yesterday”, she said. “Anyway, do you want to match him, daze him or stun him?”

Tanya raised an eyebrow at her friend as she walked over to the closet.

“Are those the grades?” she asked. Amy nodded.

“Yep, tell me what you want.”

“I don’t know… you pick.”

Amy rolled her eyes, but began to look through the closet. After a while, she placed three dresses on the bed.

“This one’s for matching”, she said and pointed at the black dress with light blue decorations. “He’s dressed the opposite way; blue with black instead of black with blue.”

“That would look a bit weird”, Tanya said. Amy nodded and removed the dress.

“This one is for dazing”, she continued. This dress was white with silvery decorations and Tanya also noticed that it would show more of her skin than the previous one.

“Keep it for now”, she said and walked over to the last dress – the stunning dress. It was dark red with golden grapevines across the chest-part.

“That one comes with this as well”, Amy said, holding a corset in her hand. Tanya looked doubtful, but then sighed.

Ten minutes later, Amy opened the door and let in the dryad who would be fixing Tanya’s hair.

“We’ll be waiting downstairs”, she said with a broad smile.

* * *

Peter paced in front of the large window. He was still in his own room with an amazing view over the yard – where he had fought a battle only a few days ago. He quickly looked away from the yard and looked over to the opposite side. After walking through the castle with Caspian earlier that day, he’d found out that Tanya’s room was directly across from his. She still hadn’t left; he could see shadows moving through her room.

Was she just as nervous as he was? Or was it just very common for girls to take such a long time deciding what to wear? When he’d been the King, when he’d been hosting balls, he and his guests usually had to wait an extremely long time for Susan to appear. Lucy was quicker, though she always finished after the men as well.

A soft knock on the door made him turn around.

“You’re not coming?” Susan said and looked at him. He had to admit that his sister looked amazing with her bright green dress.

“I’m just… nervous, that’s all”, he said and walked out of the room, even though he wanted to stay by the window. “What if I’ve forgotten how to dance?”

“Peter, are you worried about the _dancing_?” Susan asked and raised an eyebrow at him. “Besides, you could handle a sword perfectly well, why not still be able to dance?”

“Maybe”, Peter muttered and walked down the stairs with her. The others were waiting for them, everyone except Amy and Tanya.

“The guests are waiting”, Caspian said and eyed the wooden doors through which they would appear.

“We have to wait for the last two”, Jonathan reminded him. “They’re probably just…”

“So sorry!”

Amy hurried down the stairs, her cheeks flushing.

“Girls and dresses, you know”, she said and grinned. “Tanya will be here in a moment, she had the same problem.”

Peter felt a slight knot forming in his stomach. Had he ever been this nervous before?

“Well, we might as well go inside”, Henry said and pulled his hand through his hair. “Any specific line?”

“We should team up two-and-two”, Susan answered. “Caspian, you go first…”

“How about making a new tradition instead?” Caspian interrupted, never taking his eyes from her. Susan opened her mouth to answer, but closed it again. Caspian smiled.

“Lord Henry, I need you to go first, as our knight”, he said and turned towards Henry. Henry seemed to grow ten times bigger by the mere thought of being elected as knight.

“After that, we’ll team up two-and-two, man and woman”, Caspian continued. Peter nodded, unable to speak. Even before he looked around to see the already finished couples, he knew that he would be left with Caspian and Susan, and Tanya.

And he was right; Amy grabbed Jonathan’s arm, which made him blush, and Lucy grabbed Edmund, knowing that Peter wouldn’t pick until last and he would probably put Susan in front of her, just to look good. Edmund didn’t disagree; back in the old days he’d often escorted Lucy to different balls.

“May I?” Caspian said and offered his arm towards Susan. Susan turned towards Peter, but he nodded.

“I’d be honoured”, she said and took his arm. Peter stood still by the stairs as the others started to move into the other room. People were cheering and calling to them, giving the new king their best wishes. There were both Narnians and Telmarines in the room, mixed as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

Then, suddenly, someone turned towards the door and gasped. Everything fell silent and Peter noticed that they weren’t looking at him, but up the stairs. With one last, deep breath, he turned around.


	10. Chapter 10

Tanya had to remind herself to breath while she walked down from her room. She was probably the last one, Peter would’ve gone inside already. After all, he was King Peter, he couldn’t let the guests wait.

She peeked around the last pillar and saw her friends walking in through the doors. Henry walked first in line, alone, making sure that the others could go through the crowd without any problem. Caspian and Susan came after him, then Edmund and Lucy, and Jonathan and Amy.

But Peter didn’t follow them. He stood completely still, looking at the ball from a “safe distance”. Tanya felt that her heart skipped a beat when she realised that he was waiting for her.

With one last, deep breath, she took a step forward and slowly started to walk down the stairs, careful not to trip.

There was a gasp from the door and suddenly, everyone turned to stare at her. She concentrated on her cheeks, making sure that she didn’t blush.

Peter was the last one to turn. Slowly his face came into view and their eyes locked. Amy had been right; the red dress stunned him. Tanya smiled at him and he smiled back, but still didn’t take his eyes away from hers.

She walked down the last step and stood in front of him.

“My Lord”, she whispered and curtseyed. He bowed back at her.

“The Lady guarding my heart”, he said. Now she was unable not to blush and he smiled at her. Then he offered her his arm and she gratefully accepted it.

As they walked in to the crowded room, people followed their every move. Peter felt like he had just lifted off the ground and soared up to the clouds. He was escorting the most beautiful girl he’d ever met to a royal ball and people couldn’t take their eyes off them!

“How long…” Susan whispered to Amy.

“Since yesterday”, Amy answered, smiling at her friend. “I just found out myself.”

Peter hesitated once they reached the middle of the dance-floor. It was tradition that the King should dance the first dance, he should start the whole ball, but this was Caspian’s ball, not his. He glanced up at Caspian, who nervously looked at Susan. Susan looked back, then nodded at Peter. Caspian nodded as well and actually grinned.

“Tanya”, Peter said and turned towards her. She looked back at him and he swallowed once.

“May I have this dance?”

Tanya blinked in surprise and also glanced up at the others. Now Amy gave her a slight wink, telling her to do it. With a nervous smile, she turned back to Peter.

“Of course, my Lord.”

To be honest, she had never danced any kind of dance that should be danced at a royal ball. But how could she possibly resist him?

Peter gently placed his left hand on her hip and used his eyes to tell her that she should put her opposite hand on his shoulder. Then the fingers of their two free hands intertwined as the music started to play.

“Ready?” he mumbled. She managed to give a quick nod before he started to lead her across the floor.

Of course, Peter had not forgotten how to dance over the year back in England. Susan had been correct about that. But before he had only been dancing with women, pretty or beautiful, that he had no certain feelings for. Now he was dancing with someone that, in his eyes, was the most beautiful of goddesses. And that made him a bit nervous, a bit unsure about how to dance.

Luckily, Susan noticed that from her place and gestured to Caspian that they should join in on the dance-floor. And after them came the others as well; soon the floor was crowded with all kinds of creatures.

But Peter only had eyes for Tanya, as if they were in their own hall, filled with music and love.

* * *

As the hours passed, people left the floor for some refreshments or paused by the wall, where they stood in groups, chattering and having a good time. Some returned to the floor later on, others did not.

Peter and Tanya had moved out to one of the balconies set behind the thrones, meaning that only the royals were granted access to them.

“What do you think will happen?” Peter asked silently. Tanya turned her gaze from the stars towards him.

“What do you mean?”

“We cannot stay here forever. In Narnia, I mean. Aslan will, one day or the other, send us back… do you think that…”

“No, I don’t want to think about that”, Tanya said and shook her head. “Don’t talk about it.”

“Tanya, what if we do not meet again?” Peter continued, piercing her with his eyes. “What if this is it?”

Tanya shook her head, but was afraid that her voice would fail her if she answered. After a while she took a deep breath and looked at him.

“Aslan knows, he won’t allow this to happen”, she said.

“What if there’s nothing he can do about it?” Peter asked. “We have to be sent back to the place where we were before we got here or people will notice.”

“My grandmother will understand”, Tanya said and blinked to fight back the tears. “She knows that… that I might have gone somewhere.”

“Tanya, you do not believe that yourself”, Peter said softly and placed a hand on her cheek. She blinked again, knowing that he saw the glimmer in her eyes but not wanting to cry.

“If you are right…” she said. “I’m not saying you are, but if… what shall we do then?”

Peter looked at her for a while, searching her face with his now soft gaze, before he suddenly kneeled in front of her.

“Marry me, Tanya.”

It took her some time to understand what he had just said.

“But… we’re too young, people will think it’s strange…”

“It doesn’t matter”, Peter said. “The only thing that does is that we love each other and can’t live without one another. We are both older than we look.”

He gave her a soft smile and she realised that she had already decided what to answer, despite trying to get out of it.

“Yes. Yes, Peter, I want to marry you!”

He rose at once and kissed her, more passionately than ever before, as she let the tears fall from her eyes. But now they were not tears of sorrow, but tears of joy.

“Who should marry us?” she whispered and leaned against his chest as he embraced her.

“I’ll talk to Aslan about it”, he suggested. Then he stiffened for a moment before a soft laughter came from his mouth.

“Or maybe I do not have to.”

She looked up and noticed that he was looking at someone below the balcony. There stood Aslan, his mane glimmering in the light of the moon. He seemed to smile and with his eyes he beckoned them to come down.

Peter looked around and noticed that an emergency ladder was attached to the wall next to the balcony.

“Are you able to climb in that dress?” he asked Tanya. She studied herself, especially the shoes.

“Don’t know, I can always try.”

Peter smiled.

“Get onto my back.”

“You’re crazy”, Tanya said with a grin as she did exactly that. Then Peter slowly climbed down the ladder and landed on the soft grass below.

“You’re alright?” Tanya asked. Peter smiled again.

“A few bruises, maybe, but you’re not that heavy.”

Tanya blushed before she accepted his arm and let him lead her after Aslan. The great lion was walking through the garden towards a group of old trees. Next to them were two stone pillars that were now placed so that the moon was seen in the middle of them. Aslan stopped as he reached them and sat down, turning towards Peter and Tanya.

“Will you marry us, Aslan?” Peter asked.

“I’d be honoured, Peter”, the lion answered, smiling towards them.


	11. Chapter Eleven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two more chapters, guys (counting this) and then this story is done!

Breakfast was not served until past noon the next day and even then people were yawning more often than they spoke a word. Most had not gone to bed until the sun had long since risen above the horizon, drunk on happiness instead of wine or any other alcoholic beverage (Caspian had forbidden such drinks). Now, at the breakfast table, the human friends could be seen poking around in their food and gulping down coffee or tea, eyes bleary but smiles still visible on their lips. None of them seemed to even consider how people had seated themselves in a way that would have been seen as odd just a few days ago. Caspian was sitting next to Susan and the two shared the, not so occasional and not so inconspicuous, glance. Amy was half asleep on Jonathan’s shoulder and he was absentmindedly playing with her hair. And Peter and Tanya’s hands were loosely linked between their chairs, with golden wedding bands adorning their left ring fingers. Lucy, Edmund and Henry sat together, but did not speak more than asking one or the other to pass an object on the table.

When a herald came in announcing that Aslan wished to speak with them in the gardens they all hurriedly corrected themselves and rose, though Henry quickly downed another cup of coffee before following the younger ones out through the door. Aslan was seated between two stone pillars by a group of old trees. As they looked around they realized that the vast garden seemed deserted, as if privacy was needed for whatever it was that Aslan wished to discuss with them. Lucy gripped Edmund’s arm, suddenly afraid that something had happened. Her brother gave her a comforting smile. Of course nothing was wrong; the Telmarines were defeated and Narnia was at peace again. Everything was just as it should be.

“My lord Aslan”, Caspian greeted.

“Your Highnesses”, Aslan replied, nodding his head at them. He did not say anything else; he simply looked at them with his deep, wise eyes that could see every little thing. They did not know for how long they all stood there until the lion spoke again.

“It’s time.”

No one seemed to understand what this meant until Lucy suddenly gasped.

“No”, she said. “Please, Aslan, let us stay a little bit longer!”

“We’re leaving _now_?” Edmund filled in, frowning. Aslan looked to Peter and Tanya and not until that moment did the others realize that they had come to stand further back, arms around one another and with tears in their eyes.

“You knew?” Lucy exclaimed.

“Aslan told us last night”, Peter replied. “Lu, we always knew we’d have to go back at some point. And now we’re not needed here anymore.”

“You two do realize that going home means...” Henry begun, but was interrupted by Tanya.

“We know, Henry. Don’t worry.”

“What?” Amy asked. “What does it mean?”

Peter and Tanya exchanged a glance, before Peter drew a deep breath and replied.

“Tanya and I got married last night. By Aslan.”

Jaws dropped, though for the first time that day this was not due to yawning.

“Aslan told us that we would have to go home, be split up”, Tanya filled in, “but we decided to go through with it anyway. Fate brought us together ones; it should be capable of doing so again.”

“You’re willing to risk that?” Susan asked.

“Yes”, both Peter and Tanya replied.

“But”, Caspian said, “will you come back?”

“Of course we will”, Lucy said. “Won’t we, Aslan?”

Aslan looked to Peter.

“You will”, the oldest Pevensie said. “You and Ed.”

“What about you and Susan?” Edmund questioned.

“I won’t return”, Peter replied.

“But”, Lucy said, “but, Peter, you must return. It’s Narnia; you cannot...”

“It’s alright, Lucy”, Peter said with a smile. “I didn’t think it would be, but it is. I won’t be needed here again.”

“What about me, then?” Susan asked and looked at Aslan. “Can I come back here?”

“That’s for you to decide, my child”, Aslan replied. At this everyone frowned.

“What do you mean?” Susan asked.

“You will be allowed to take my place here”, Tanya replied, “because of Caspian.”

“Wait, you were, at first, permitted to stay?” Jonathan asked. Tanya nodded.

“But if Peter’s leaving then so am I, regardless of my blood. Susan can stay here in my place.”

The group in the garden fell silent, pondering the strangeness of all of this.

“How long would I be permitted to stay, then?” Susan asked.

“For as long as you live”, Aslan replied.

“I can’t return to England? Not even once?”

“No.”

“And if I decide to leave now?”

“Then you can, just like Peter, never return here”, Aslan said.

“That’s not fair”, Amy protested. “People will miss her back in England; she has to be allowed to return, at least at some point.”

“What about our parents?” Lucy filled in.

“Lu”, Susan suddenly said, “it’s alright. I’ll stay.”

“Wait, you will?” Edmund asked with a frown.

“You will?” Caspian repeated.

“Yes”, Susan replied. She then spun around to face Peter. Her older brother gave her a slight smile.

“I might get to see Edmund and Lu again”, she said, “but if you’re not returning here, that means this...”

“This is goodbye”, Peter agreed, before releasing Tanya. “I love you, Susan. I know I might not have acted that way, but I truly do.”

He opened his arms and let his sister walk into them, holding her close for a long time. Then she walked back to the others and hugged them as well.

“But what will you do?” Lucy asked when it was her turn for a hug.

“I’m sure I’ll find something”, Susan replied with a slight smile. When she released her sister Aslan stepped away from the stone pillars and nodded at them.

“Once a King or Queen of Narnia, always a King or Queen of Narnia”, he said.

“We weren’t exactly Kings or Queens”, Amy muttered. Aslan looked at her in amusement.

“Weren’t you?”

Then, one by one, they walked through the gateway, disappearing into thin air. Lucy was the last to leave, casting one last glance back at the trio remaining behind. She could now see that Caspian and Susan were holding hands and, all of a sudden, she knew exactly who Susan would become in Narnia. A bright thought among all the sad ones.

She stepped out onto the train platform she had left before going to Narnia, where the train they had been waiting for was just pulling in. Looking around she found her things again and, at the same time, noticed that Susan’s things were all gone. It was as if her sister had never even been there. Hurriedly she then followed her brothers onto the train. Edmund was grumbling about having forgotten his torch in Narnia, which made Lucy smile slightly. Peter was fidgeting with his wedding band. He had pulled it off his finger, knowing that it would be odd for a teenager to wear such a thing, and eventually came to hold it in his fist as the train moved forward. Lucy placed her hand on top of it.

“You’ll see her again”, she promised. Peter nodded absentmindedly.


	12. Chapter Twelve

**Eight years later**

The English countryside was rushing past outside the train window, but despite the sun the view seemed dull and grey to Tanya. Nothing compared to the vast fields of Narnia, the ones she still dreamt of every now and then. She wondered how long a time had passed there now, if Caspian was still king and ruled together with Susan, or if one of their heirs had taken the throne. Absentmindedly she raised her hand and touched the golden ring hanging from a piece of string around her neck. She had hoped that she would have been allowed to reunite with Peter by now. They were now both adults in England as well and could make their marriage an official thing. She wondered if they would have children together and if they would all end up being blonde, or if Peter had some genes for darker hair as well (all of his siblings had that, after all).

The train pulled into a crowded station and Tanya quickly picked up a paper, trying to look busy reading about the US nuclear program and various other things that had become common after the war. The talk about nuclear scared her; people might not talk about exactly how many that had died when the US bombed two cities in Japan with nuclear bombs, but she was absolutely sure that they were uncountable and that they had suffered. Her grandmother had voiced the same thoughts before passing away a year earlier.

“Helen”, a male voice suddenly said, “here’s room for us.”

Tanya looked up and nearly gasped. A man and a woman had just entered the compartment and she believed them to be around forty. The man’s hair had once been blonde but was now streaked with grey and his eyes were the sharpest blue. He was leaning heavily on a cane, which made him look older, but upon closer inspection this seemed to be due to a disfigured right leg, most likely due to having fought in the war. His wife had thick, dark brown hair that curled itself around her face and dark eyes, with sharp cheekbones and a narrowly built frame. The two did, in fact, look like older versions of Peter and Susan.

“I hope there’s no trouble that we sit here”, the woman, Helen, said, glancing at Tanya.

“No”, she replied, “no, no, none at all.”

“Thank you”, the man said and sunk down on the seat with a groan. A spasm went through his injured leg, but when he saw Tanya looking at it he smiled a kind smile.

“From the war”, he said. “A grenade killed most of my platoon; I survived with a bad leg. Enough to get me a permit to go back to teaching.”

“You’re a teacher?” Tanya asked, adding a “sir” for good measure.

“History”, the man replied, “though it’s hard to find a job now that everyone else’s back as well. While the war was still happening I taught in the US; they were lacking people with competence there. Now people would rather listen to my son, Peter, instead of me.”

Tanya inhaled sharply and her hand flew up to touch the wedding band hanging from her neck.

“Is something the matter, dear?” Helen asked. “You’ve gone pale. Did you lose someone by that name in the war?”

“No, no”, Tanya quickly replied. “I... knew someone, a long time ago, with that name.”

“You know”, the man said, “you look as if you might be Peter’s age. He’s a wonderful speaker, but he has no interest with women. Both Helen and I have started to wish for grandchildren, you know, but Peter just keeps telling us that he’s waiting for someone special.”

The train shook violently and Helen gripped the armrest of her seat.

“Is it supposed to do that?” she asked.

“It’s nothing, dear, don’t worry”, her husband said with a small smile. “Look, we’ll be in London soon. Perhaps we should call on Peter and see if he can come over for tea? You should come as well, if you have no other obligation.”

The last thing was directed to Tanya, who was surprised to realize just how eager this man, Mr Pevensie, was for her to meet his son, despite not knowing her. The train shook again and, as Tanya glanced out through the window, she wondered why it was not slowing down. If they were indeed approaching the next station this felt too fast.

“Andrew, you’re scaring the girl”, Helen said.

“No, he’s not”, Tanya replied. “It’s the train. I think something’s wrong.”

“Nonsense”, Andrew huffed. “Trains are perfectly safe. There has not been an accident in...”

There was a jolt that threw them all sideways and Tanya landed on the floor with a gasp. She shook her head, trying to focus again, and then realized that the floor beneath her felt soft and smelled of grass, but a much more real and vivid version of grass than any she had smelled or felt before. She sat up and blinked at her surroundings; vast fields occupied only by the occasional copse of fruit trees. She could smell them from here; apples, oranges, pears and plums. She could even smell the sea, which was even further away, but still visible to her. The oddity of it all made her rise, at which point she realized she was dressed in clothes different from the ones she had worn on the train; a white riding dress embroidered with a golden lion on the right side of her chest above a pair of grey trousers and dark grey boots. A red and golden belt were at her waist and from it hung a short sword and, when she moved her head, she realized that there was something on it as well. Raising her hands she plucked it down and found that it was a golden crown adorned with white pearls. At the same time she also saw that her wedding band was, by now, back on her finger.

“Tanya!”

She spun around and found herself looking out over fields, mountains and more fruit trees, but this time there was no ocean in the distance. This time there were people – men and women, both older than her and younger, and several of them familiar. Despite knowing who most of them were, they all looked strange and different. It was as if they, like the land around them, had taken on a different but more real appearance than their old one.

There was Henry, his brown hair shining like polished wood in the sun, and Amy and Jonathan, who had married two years before. There was a blonde woman and a dark-blond man, whom Tanya believed to be older than her in one instance and then the same age as her in the next. Then there was a man with copper hair and a jaw similar to what Tanya remembered Caspian’s to have looked like, and a man with darker skin and black hair dressed in uniform. There was a blonde girl and a sandy-coloured boy, or at least Tanya believed them to be several years younger than her. And, lastly, there were three siblings whom Tanya had missed dearly over the past eight years. The two younger ones, one dark haired man and one dark haired woman, waved at her along with the rest of her old friends, but their older brother had started running towards her instead. She soon found that she was doing the same, running towards him and wondering how far apart they might be, if his hair would look just as golden when she came closer, if this was when they could finally start their life together. Then they were in each other’s arms, lips pressed together in a desperate attempt to make up for the eight years of missed kisses.

“I love you”, she heard him say in-between them. “I love you, Tanya, I love you.”

“I know”, she replied. “I love you too, Peter. I love you.”

Much later, although it did not feel like that much time had passed, they lay together in their new home, marvelling at the way fate had brought them together again. She had died on that train and he had died while waiting for it on the next platform, and their afterlife would be spent here, in the Real Narnia. Aslan’s Country. There would be no wars to fight or politics to discuss; they could spend all their time together if they wished to do so.

“Lucy said she saw our parents”, Peter suddenly said, “that they had been allowed to come here as well, but to a different part of the realm. Perhaps one day we can visit them.”

“They will be delighted”, Tanya mused. Peter gave her a slight frown.

“Are you sure?”

“I met them, Pete”, she replied, “on the train. We shared a compartment and, I believe, your father unknowingly gave us their blessing.”

Peter’s frown transformed into a smile.

“Good. Because there’s no way I’m letting you leave me again. Eight years of separation was enough.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finished! Hope you all enjoyed :)


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